


Savage Force

by AnsemD, TW14



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crossover, F/M, Lightsabers, Romance, Science Fiction, The Force
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-05-02 07:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14539200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnsemD/pseuds/AnsemD, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TW14/pseuds/TW14
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away started the first bunny who was ever trained as a Jedi Knight to her first mission. Beware! This story is basically a Zootopia fanfiction in the Star Wars Universe. Everyone is welcome but please don't be disappointed, I try to tell a story which connects the Zootopia character as close as possible with the Star Wars Universe as if they belong to it.





	1. Suspicious Clients and Gambling Foxes

# Savage Force

 

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away_

_started the first bunny who was ever trained_

_as a Jedi Knight to her first mission. This mission_

_was given to her by the Jedi master and eldest Bogo_

_A high member of the council of the Jedi of Coruscant._

_Meanwhile, most of the Jedi gathered in the_

_near of Anx Minor, to prepare themselves for_

_soon awaited attack of the Sith._

_Curious and full of ambition traveled our young Jedi_

_to Telnas IV, not knowing which_

_danger and darkness lay ahead of her._

## Chapter 1 - Suspicious Clients and Gambling Foxes

#    


Slightly angered about her first task, Judy Hopps sat restlessly in the much too big Captains chair and tried in vain to calm down. The words of the eldest Bogo were well remembered, and she would not forget them so quickly, so much was sure.

The stars flew like little lights past her cockpit when Judy watched the darkness in front of her.

How excited she once was, as she made her first travel through space. It was the flight to Coruscant, the one where she left as a bunny and began her life as a Jedi. But all of that seemed so far away and in one way it was. Usually, the contact with her own family should be kept to a minimum but Judy just couldn't, she was just too much of a family mammal for that.

Not even two hours ago, she Judy Hopps, the first bunny ever trained as a Jedi and recently also promoted to the rank of a Jedi Knight, was given her first assignment. She was supposed to be on Telnas IV searching for 12 missing persons, that was all the elder Bogo had told her, and that was all he knew. Judy didn't completely understand what she should do there. Usually, this was the job of other institutions but not the right one for a Jedi, even though she knew that she was obliged to help all living beings who asked for her help.

Even though the assignment was not one of the most important and dangerous things the Jedi Council gave, Judy still felt a little uncomfortable. The young Jedi Knight felt so unimportant, especially now where the Jedi council prepared an attack against the Sith and she was here on her way to the other side of the galaxy. It's like forcing a policewoman to work as a meter maid. For her it was ridiculous.

It was also somehow disappointing, but mission was mission and Judy was now sitting here, alone in the Captain's chair of 'Patty,’ a cargo ship better known as the VCX-100, which was old but reliable and for Judy's luck, had only recently been renewed and equipped with slightly better technology. The ship itself had one deck and several cabins for crewmembers. All in all, there could be a crew of eight permanent members or up to twenty or thirty persons for short transports on this freighter. The ship was mostly round with some extended wings on the side and a little bridge for the captain, where only she had one seat. Or to put it like Ellon the mechanic said shortly before Judy started from Coruscant, “If you have a fight, forget it. This thing is too clumsy and way too stiff to have a real chance of winning. So do yourself a favor, if you have any enemy in your neck while flying, search the nearest mountain or asteroid and fly into it, it’s faster and less painful.”

Judy swallowed hard after she heard the words from her mechanic and hoped that there would be no combat during her mission, she was no great pilot, and Ellon's words did the rest to her unpleasant feeling.

On top of that came the weaponry, which was more a joke than a real threat, a blaster turret on top and two blaster guns for the captain, that's it.

With the changes, was now at least a hot shower possible on board the ship and maybe a warm meal. The last point, however, depended on how talented the crew was and since the crew just consisted of the young doe and the board AI, which Judy quickly named Patty after first minutes on board, it looked rather sad for a warm meal and even worse for something tasty. They maybe teach you to fight with a lightsaber and move objects with your will, but they never thought about giving some cooking lessons to the recruits.

Judy inhaled deeply and leaned back in the captain's chair, her head resting on her left paw, watching indifferently as the controls in front of her blinked and showed different values. Judy was tired. Why? Because excitement for the first own mission was a way stronger neuroenhancer than caffeine or other drugs and she got a full portion of drama last night. But right now, she was in need of sleep, and she didn't know how long she could stay awake.

“Hey Patty, How long does it take us to get to Telnas IV?” Judy asked the board AI, which responded with a warm and female voice,” Hello, Captain! Time till arrival 2 hours, 16 minutes and 33 seconds. The weather at the capital of Telnas IV is sunny, with almost no wind and pleasant 27 degrees Celsius. Do you want to know anything else about Telnas IV?"

“Thanks, that would be all, but please tell me the arrival time every now and then, to keep me up to date,” Judy replied and positioned her ears so that they were angled down with her right paw, closing her eyes for a short moment.

“Task registered,” Patty replied and remained silent for now.

The day was until now uneventful, something Judy didn't like at all, and for a short moment, she was tempted to call her parents but decided otherwise because of her tiredness. When she saw the green communication icon appear on the left screen as she opened her eyes. Below him the short but meaningful word ‘family.’ Judy cursed at this moment about the technology of interstellar communication, and of course, the fact that she hadn’t turned off her communication device before the mission had started. How could something like that happen, she was no longer a rookie!

‘Oh, please, no. . . Not now,’ Judy thought and rolled her eyes. Quickly, she tried to change her facial expression and put on a forced smile. The young doe exhaled deeply before she pushed the button to accept the call from her home planet.

“Hey, it’s my parents!”

“Oh! There she is! Hi sweetheart,” Bonnie, her mother, exclaimed happily and tried to pull her husband, Stu, into the camera's field of vision.

“Hey, there Jude, how are doing? How was your first day with the ‘force,’” Steward Hopps said with a small grin on his face? Actually, Judy would have liked to roll her eyes, but she tried to pull herself together and played the game.

'Come on, Judy, that was one bad joke. Normally he made more in shorter intervals.’

“It was great, I already got my first important mission . . . And yeah what should I say, I think I really make a difference here,” Judy replied, her parents were still watching her with high anticipation. To Judy’s lousy luck reacted now Patty the board AI and tried to fulfill her ordered work with high precision. When Judy heard this, her ears turned, and she desperately tried to break off the order from the command console in front of her.

“Hello Captain, the time we need before we arrive on Telnas IV is now exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes,” Patty replied dutifully. Judy could just facepalm herself for this.

“Wait a second . . . Bonnie, did you hear that?”

“Oh, my sweet heaven. Judy, is your mission really on Telnas IV?” Bonnie asked with paws cupped before her muzzle.

“Oh, this . . . No! No, no ,no . . . Th-that’s just the starting point. Who knows where such a crazy mission will take me?” Judy replied and tried to keep up her play, but her parents understood exactly what it meant.

“Did you hear that Stu? Telnas IV! That’s one of the safest planets in the Republic, do you remember we spend some time during our honeymoon there,” Bonnie said and turned to her husband, who was furious with joy.

“She is not on a serious mission! Our prayers have been answered,” Stu Hopps screamed through the interstellar communication device. Right then, Judy wished for any kind of malfunction, an asteroid, smuggler, pirates, Sith, really anything that would free her from this awkward situation was welcome but there would nothing happen, and she had to endure it.

“Oh, glorious day!” Bonnie shouted towards the camera and Judy sank more and more into her seat.

“Oh-ho! Telnas IV, Telnas IV, Telnas IV, Telnas IV . . . ” Stew shouted and had now almost no more breath to keep up his singing. Judy was already too annoyed to keep calm, years of Jedi training or not.

“Dad. Dad! DAD! . . . You know what guys, I have a serious mission in front of me, so if you would excuse me, I have to prepare myself,” Judy said.

“That’s right, prepare yourself, honey. And keep an eye open for xerulanic bed bugs, you know, they are the worst,” Bonnie said and stepped back. Both parents shouted a last, ”Bye-Bye,” before the line went dead.

“Buh-bye . . . ,” Judy replied more to herself and fell back into the captain's chair.

“Captain, you seem to be depressed. Can I do something for you?” the artificial intelligence asked from the depth of the room, while Judy tried to massage her temples. Sleep that is what Judy needed at the moment and the decision for a little nap was in the end not so difficult for her.

“Yes, wake me, when we arrive,” Judy said, snuggled herself in her brown coat and pulled the hood over her face. Smiling about the warm and comfy clothing, her eyelids dropped fast.

‘Ahh nice and cozy, exactly how I like it . . . Well, what have I done, that I deserve such a treatment? Bogo gives me a dull mission, my parents mock me for it.  It can only get better Judy, it can only get better, it can only . . . ,’ Judy was long asleep before she could end her thought.

*******

“Captain.”

“Captain?”

“Captain, we are called from the planetary defense unit of Telnas IV. Should I respond, that you are still . . . unavailable?” Patty asked from the console in front of Judy, the purple eyes of the young doe snapped instantly open as she felt the lingering threat in front of her and focused slowly on the blue and green planet outside of her cockpit . . . And of course, the planetary defense unit, which consisted of two X-Fighter which had already their weapons activated and waited impatiently for a response from her.

“*yawn* . . . Judy Hopps ordered Jedi Knight from the Jedi Council of Coruscant. Validation Code zero, four, alpha, nine, theta, sigma, six, omicron . . . *yawn*, Please respond,” Judy said and waited that the static crackling would fade.

While she was still busy rubbing her eyes, she wondered why the whole procedure took so long. After another agonizing minute of waiting, both Starfighters closed their wings and the leading one reported via intercom.

“Excuse me, Miss, we will escort you to the Governor immediately. He is already waiting for you,” a still quite young voice said via intercom.

“Did you just say, governor?”

“Yes, Miss. Everything else will be discussed with you in the palace,” the pilot replied after a short break.

“All right, please go ahead, I'll follow. Hopps out,” Judy replied and jumped off the captain's seat. After briefly stretching her limbs, the young knight set off to her cabin to smooth her fur once again, which was no longer in the right position after the little nap she took and which would displease a Governor for sure.

“Patty?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Follow them, but keep an eye out for suspicious things,” Judy said. A little smile wrapped around her muzzle as she thought about the new information.

‘Maybe this story is bigger after all? An audience with Governor Lionheart?’ Judy thought.

“Captain? Could you please specify your command?”

“Something's not right. So please look out for anything that has no place on a peaceful planet like this,” Judy replied and sank back into her mind and walked into her cabin, where she instantly started to brush her fur.

‘Maybe all this is just my imagination or my mind trying to make more of it, but why would the governor of an entire planet want to talk to me and find 12 persons? That makes no sense,’ Judy thought with her right paw cupped in front of her muzzle.

“I will try my best, Captain,” Patty replied. The ship slowly started moving again and after a short flight began Patty to enter the atmosphere of the planet. Heavy vibrations shook the whole ship, but Judy didn't notice much of it, she floated, thanks to the force, cross-legged a few centimeters above the ground and patiently brushed the fur on her head.

‘Sometimes the force is quite useful,’ Judy thought and chuckled about herself. It took another five minutes until Patty talked to her again. This time, she was ready to go.

“Captain, we have arrived, I'm just setting down. Please be careful.”

“Thanks, Patty,” Judy answered and went to the exit of the ship that was located at the stern. As she stood in front of the grey door that would open any moment, she prepared for the sunlight and put the hood over her head, as well as putting her paws together. Judy liked the mysterious look it created for others.

The steel door slowly opened and the light of an evening sun flooded the little room. Judy was not even entirely out of the ship as she heard somebody talking to her.

“We welcome you! Great Jedi master of . . . Wait? Who are you?”

The voice shifted in seconds from delighted to unpleasant, as he, a Gammorean with big black eyes, green skin and more or less Judy's height, saw and understood whom the Jedi council had sent. Judy knew what would follow, she was used to it by now. The sunlight was no problem anymore, and Judy pulled her hood back, revealing her true identity and letting the mouth with the little sharp teeth from the alien drop.

“My name is Judy Hopps, and I am the send Jedi Knight from the Counsel of Coruscant. It's a pleasure to meet you,” Judy replied without responding to his insulting tone.

“Ah . . . Well, we waited for someone more . . . Impressive. Anyhow, my name is Talek. Please follow me, Knight,”

“And I expected someone more friendly, but well, we can't all have what we want, right?” Judy replied with a smile.

For short moment wanted Talek to answer but his open mouth closed fast, all that was left now was a toxic smile on his green lips. Talek wore a robe in white and red, the typical colors Telnas IV and he also looked arrogant enough to be the right hand of the Governor.

Around Judy were multiple other landing platforms. Most of them were already occupied by massive military transport units, which were currently being loaded. The governor’s residence itself laid directly connected to the landing platforms on a rock, multiple hundred meters above the ground. There was no option to enter it without the use of a space- or aircraft. The residence itself resembles more a gothic church made out of marble and gold than a real house or Villa. Shining like a landmark, stood the palace high above the center of Artok, the capital city of Telnas IV.

Behind Talek walked two guards, also dressed in white and red. Both had an automatic blaster in their hands but didn't look to willingly to use them. Judy could feel no threat lingering in the near around her, and so she followed Talek over a small bridge, which connected the landing platforms with the residence itself. Patty hadn’t lied about the weather it was more than enjoyable.

“We have been waiting a long time for an answer from the Order, so far without success.”

“Well, I was told this question is very new and relatively incomplete. I was just told to find 12 people who seem important to this planet, that's all.”

Without turning to Judy, all four entered the entrance hall of the residence. Everything in the building was just as Judy had imagined it.  From beautiful stone walls which were clean and decorated in the colors of Telnas IV. White and red as far as the eye can see and armed guards everywhere.

For a peaceful planet, however, there was a lot of military units stationed on this planet, Judy thought and looked further around to gather as much information and impressions as possible.

“Mmh, now Miss ‘Knight’, what we're looking for are 12 scientists. They disappeared on a research expedition into another system and unfortunately never reached their original destination. Oh dear, What a crazy and brutal galaxy we live in. It's indeed a shame.” Talek replied and shook his head dramatically.

Now that Judy had walked through several corridors and halls, all of them had one thing in common, namely a lot of soldiers and not even a grain of dust.

They finally stopped in front of a massive wooden gate, which only Judy would pass. Talek stood beside the entrance and grinned at her one last time.

“Good luck, little Jedi,” Talek said, Judy didn't react to him at all and just went in.

The gates closed and Judy stood alone in a huge conference room, with a large circular table in the middle of the room and huge window on the opposite side of the entrance. Even from her current position, Judy could see the entire city below her in all its glory. She felt that there was someone else in the room with her, but for the moment Judy just wanted to take a closer look at the city in front of her. With a steady step, the young Jedi walked in front of the window and enjoyed for a moment the view. The lion, who was sitting behind her in an armchair and who also admired the city below began not immediately to speak.

‘He ordered you, not the other way around. Let him start the talking,’ Judy thought.

“Beautiful. Don't you think?” Lionheart said and looked down to the city.

“Definitely. But I usually don't have the time to enjoy something like this,” Judy answered with honest sadness in her voice.

“Too bad, sometimes I only come here to enjoy the view. Very well, then . . . I'm honest, I expected. . . Someone else. Someone. . . ,” Governor Lionheart began.

“. . . Taller?” Judy replied smiling.

“More experienced, I meant to say,” Lionheart lied. The governor sat in his armchair, also dressed in white and red, but additionally covered with a little gold. He folded his paws and waited for an explanation.

‘He's no better than Talek,’ Judy thought,’ but at least he's trying to lie.’

“As you know, most Jedi forces are bundled around Anx Minor. I am what the Jedi Council could send you to help,” Judy said, watching the streets below as long caravan of vehicles moved through downtown with its high buildings, it looked almost like a metal snake, which was searching its way through the city.

“In other words, you are on your own and in case of doubt, you can't even call for reinforcements, is that correct?”

Judy turned to Lionheart for the first time and looked at him extensively. No smile from the lion, just his stare directed at her.

“Now . . . . This is also a way of looking at the situation,” Judy replied with growing suspicion.

“All right, I will tell you what you need to know. Two weeks ago, twelve of our best scientists disappeared on their way to Vohai. We don't know where it happened along the way, but we know the name of the person responsible for this crime and his whereabouts,” Lionheart said emphatically.

“I still can't quite understand where I stand in this story,” Judy started to reply.

“The criminal responsible is a renegade Jedi named Nicholas Wilde. Unfortunately, the name is all I can give you as information. The private Jedi archives are not accessible to outsiders. But .... this should be known to you.”

For a moment Judi was shocked that a Jedi should be responsible for the abduction of twelve scientists.

‘A renegade Jedi? As good as impossible, apostates will be prosecuted immediately and punished if possible, depending on what they have done. What is going on here?’ Judy thought

“The information on the scientists and whereabouts of the apostate?”

“All the necessary information has already been sent to your ship.”

“Of course,” Judy said and bowed briefly, "I will get to work immediately.”

Judy, who was about to leave, turned around in direction from where she was coming from. Lionheart also got up and walked towards the window and stopped right in front of it.

“I wish you good luck, Jedi Knight Hopps, especially more than your two predecessors,” Lionheart said from the window, his voice loud and penetrating. In fact, he was loud enough to send a shiver down on Judy's spine, and it was no pleasant one.

Half the room was already behind her when she immediately stopped and tried to process what she heard right there and that as quickly as possible.

“Predecessors?”

“Yes? Didn't Talek tell you that already?”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still for Judy before she decided to do what she liked least and that was to lie.

“Of course . . . How could I forget such important information? My apologies Governor. This little bunny mind could not keep all the information, that was given to her.”

Slow and steady, Judy walked to the massive gate. Nobody should raise suspicion, and so she tried to keep herself calm. Wordless left the Jedi the hall and made her way back to her ship.

Lionheart stood at the window for a long time, he seemed to be waiting for something or rather someone. While he watched the town underneath him, a shadow loosened from the darkness of the room. Without waiting for the question, the unknown creature began to speak.

“Why did you mention the predecessors? That wasn't what you were supposed to do,” the shadow said audibly annoyed.

“I wanted to see how she reacts and what she showed was interesting…,” Lionheart said.

“And what was that?”

“She lied . . . Because Talek never gave her this information, but she played along nonetheless. She had a suspicion and had it even before, so much is sure and shouldn't be taken lightly. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” the shadow answered with annoyance.

“Good because if you don't make a mistake, their fate is already sealed. You heard her, right? No backup, nothing. She is alone.”

Just a node and nothing else came from the listener.

“Follow her and don’t forget we want both alive, as our final test subjects.”

“Of course,” the shadow answered and slowly disappeared back into the shadows behind him. A scornful laugh came to Lionheart as he thought about the whole situation.

‘Darth Lepus, he should better watch out and do what his master tells him and don't go on my nerves. I really ask myself if Lord Ovis has him under control,’ Lionheart thought and continued watching the town below him.

*******

“Patty, start the engine and bring us away from this planet,” Judy shouted as soon as she entered the ship. The young doe jumped over the back of the captain's seat and landed softly on it. Immediately, she started to type commands into the console in front of her.

With a loud and heavy shatter, Patty started the old freighter and emerged quickly from the planet and entered space. As soon as Judy felt the change from gravitation to the artificial gravity of the ship, a deep sigh escaped her muzzle, and she leaned back into the seat.

“Did you get the information from our friends, Patty?” Judy asked in a sarcastic tone.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Did you found anything unusual on the surface of the planet?”

“No captain.”

“Blueberries…, “ Judy cursed and cupped her right paw in front of her muzzle thinking about her current situation and what for possibilities are left for her and how her chances would stand right now.

“But . . . I searched the local networks for news and information about the twelve scientists,” Patty stated and raised so Judy's attention.

“And. . . ?”

“Nothing. No news and no reports about missing scientists or anything else. My apologies that I could not be helpful for you, Captain,” Patty replied and remained silent.

Judy knew that the situation she was in was not looking well and yet she began to smile. On the one paw because a picture of what was going on slowly emerged in her mind and on the other paw because Judy knew that wherever she would fly next, a trap would be waiting for her. It's not much to plan with but better than nothing.

‘Maybe I would have been a good cop, after all, not a meter maid but a real cop,' Judy thought and chuckled about the idea,' Well, too late Judy, you've chosen your path and now go for it.'

"Okay, Patty, where are we going?"

Judy sounded happy even though she knew it was life and death from now on but wasn't that always the case for a Jedi? Haven't you ever been exposed to adverse dangers, and wasn't that a little bit what drove the Jedi? Well, if not all Jedi then at least this bunny.

"Our target is the Besh Gorgon system in the mid-rim. In fact, we fly to a space station called 'The Wheel.' According to my information, it's notorious for its casinos, excesses and the encounter of suspicious characters," Patty said.

“Can you give me some more information about that space station, Patty,” Judy asked. Her right paw played again with her lightsaber, which hung from the right side of her belt, a habit she developed during long flights through the galaxy. Right now she played with it and listened to the artificial voice of Patty.

“The Wheel is a massive space station, which was built more than 40 years ago. By now it has about 300,000 residents. The name itself results from a huge ring that is one of the two main parts of the station. In the center of the ring exists a tower, which is over two bridges connected to the ring. That tower contains the two biggest casinos the Grand Casino and the Crimson Casino, as well as the command and control center of the whole station . . . ,” Patty explained.

"Thanks, that’s enough . . . I think I've heard of it, but I've never been there... but it sounds like fun . . . ," Judy replied and laughed about the idea, how it would look when a Jedi would go to a casino.

"Captain?"

"Forget it . . . Please take the fastest possible course to this infamous space station."

It took Patty a while to complete the calculations for the journey through the Hyperspace, Judy used this time to write a message for the Jedi Council and signed it with her personal Jedi code. A contingency plan in case it fails, allowing others to complete their mission. After a while, Patty returned and confirmed the beginning of her journey in hyperspace.

"Route is set, entry into hyperspace in . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1."

Stars blurred in front of the cockpit and a slight jolt shook the entire ship, Judy simply loved it when the whole ship was going over into Hyperspace, she couldn’t explain why. It was for her just an odd feeling that she loved like some people love the fall during a rollercoaster ride.

"Tell me, Patty, do you have access to the Jedi archives?"

"Yes, Captain. How can I help you?"

"Give me all the Information you have about a Jedi, called Nicholas Wilde."

"One moment please," Patty replied, and Judy knew it was time to wait, access to the archives from outside Coruscant could take an eternity or be done in seconds, it always depended on your current location in the galaxy.

"Here is all the information on Nicholas Piberius Wilde available in the archives. Age 32, species Vulpes, main coat color red, eye color green. Rang, Jedi Knight, Last known mission was a rescue mission on the Sarai Mine Planet, where he saved several children. Current condition deceased."

"Deceased? Are you sure this isn't a mistake?

"I'm checking . . . No, status deceased."

"Well, then I'm more than excited to see that ghost fox," Judy said and leaned back into the captain's chair with a smile on her face.

'Maybe this whole thing will be more interesting than I have thought and even bigger than I expected,’ Judy thought and closed her eyes for a moment but decided to use the remaining time for another nap.

*******

The Crimson Casino, named after the blood duty you had to fulfill if you were not able to pay your debts. It was a common phrase in the wheel to say 'That you lose more than money when you lose in the Crimson Casino.' The place itself was located in the highest tower of the Wheel, with its long bars, dozen, and hundreds of gaming tables, slot machines, and other obscure gambling opportunities were one of the best examples of how much greed could be good for one being.

Gold, glass, and marble was everywhere, artificial waterfalls let the customers feel the luxury of the space station and at the same time was the complete roof just one big window, showing the nearby asteroid belt and the sun which was some million kilometers away from the Wheel but what was this place exactly? Simple, it was a magnet for fortune-knights, adventurers and lost souls.

What Nicholas Wilde was? Well, he was a little bit of everything.

Gold, marble and precious woods adorned the inside of the largest and most expensive casinos on the space station and the whole galaxy. The last rounds of the legendary Sabacc tournament had just begun. The winner would receive no less than 100 million Republican Credits and now, just before the end of the competition, there were only three players left who had the opportunity to do so. A human named Selik Dray who drank far too much alcohol by his standards and tried to distract himself from the stress he always felt while playing. At the game tables of the space station was Selik only known as the 'drunken gambler.'

Next to him at the table sat a humanoid alien, a Sullustan named Yurt, and he did not want to reveal any more about himself. His distrust of his teammates seemed to be extraordinarily high. Not a minute went by without a disparaging look to his left or right to check the situation.

The last one in the row was a fox who never stopped smiling, in the previous three weeks, this tournament was already running. Always armed only with his grin, he has won all the relevant rounds so far and so he moved quickly to the top of the player's list. He knew that bets were also placed on the gamblers in this tournament because, in the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        'the Wheel,' it was possible to bet on anything and everyone as long as you had the necessary money.

And so he entered the tournament and his companion, a little desert fox, bet on his victory with 1 million credits. If everything goes according to plan, both will leave this station with no less than 500 million Republican credits. And then . . . Now with so much money, you could do anything you wanted, what exactly? That was a thought for later. Maybe he would even buy his own space station and do nothing from that moment on.

What nobody knew was that they had with the fox a former Jedi at the table, so luck was a relative thing. Nick had planned it carefully and used his powers only when he needed to, his talent for card games and luck were most of the times more than enough. For him, it was just a matter of time before he had finally won.

"Come on, Yurt, pull or drop it, in three rounds it'll all be over here . . . Maybe I'll buy you a little drink afterward? Of course, the costs are on me and sorry Selik, but the offer only applies to our Sullustan buddy over here, you drink too much for my taste, and if I invite you then my new fortune is immediately gone," Nick joked and grinned at the faces of the two players who just gave him a scornful look back. They knew they couldn’t win anymore.

"Alright, alright . . . I see. You two are not in the best mood, but you know what? From time to time, you might be happy for others and not just yourselves," Nick said and dropped his cards on the table, finishing the round with another victory.

“Damn, I’m good!” Nick shouted, and a lot of people around them looked to the noisy mammal. From not far away, Nick sensed how somebody walked towards his table. A small person was coming towards him together with two guards. Maybe already somebody with his price?

He didn't waste any more thought on it at first, but he quickly realized that the people were walking towards his table.

Quickly and without long words finished Nick the next two rounds and was now almost at his goal. He only needed to win once more, and he would finally reach his goal.

‘Just one more card to and I’m done . . . ‘ Nick thought.

"Nicholas P. Wilde? My name is Judy Hopps, and I want to talk to you."

Nick, who already held the final cards in his paw, looked up from them and into the purple eyes of a small fluffy creature he instantly recognized as a bunny. With an appreciative look at the doe, who stood opposite of him on the edge of the table, Nick tried to understand what she wanted from him, but right now he was too deep into the game and couldn't even recognize a Jedi. No matter how big this Jedi was.

"What's going on fluff, the massage that I ordered was originally planned for my victory and with that for later, not now. So hop along cutie." The fox said while shuffling some cards in his paws.

Judy's face darkened as she heard the fox's cheeky words and decided to show him what it meant to joke with her.

“Again, my name is Judy Hopps, and I’m a Jedi Knight from the Jedi Order of Coruscant, and I'm here to talk to you,” Judy replied.

“Really, too bad I have no idea what you are talking about, fluff. I think you mistake me for someone else. Jedi? Not in my field of curiosity.”

"Fine, you want this the hard way. Mr. Wilde, you're under arrest," Judy said severely, he, however, was still looking in his cards and ordering them.

"Oh, for what? Hurting your feelings?" Nick replied chuckling to himself.

The smile quickly returned to Judy's face when she realized he had no idea who she was or what she was doing here.

"Unauthorized use of ‘the Force’ during a gambling tournament. This ban exists for more than a thousand years, and you should be aware of it. After all, you are a Jedi . . . Just like me.”

Nick, who had already turned back to the game, looked at the female bunny standing in front of him with wide open eyes. Finally, he understood what she played for a game.

All other people at the table and the two security guards turned to him, and he already knew that whatever followed, would be nothing he liked. Yurt looked at him particularly sinisterly and asked while pointing at a metal object hanging from Nick's belt.

"I've been wondering the whole time what this thing is at your side. Call me an idiot but couldn't that be a lightsaber?"

"This? That's just a flashlight, nothing more and if you ask me such questions, then no more drinks for you after my victory," Nick tried to talk his way out of the situation with a smile, but he felt that his grand plan just vanished into thin air.

“Okay, you had your fun, Slick. Now give me your lightsaber and come with me,” Judy replied and held her paw out to him.

Silence for a short moment, until Nick exhaled profoundly and began to speak.

“If you think I would come back to the Jedi Council without a fight, then you don't seem to know me, Carrots,” Nick said, still smiling to Judy.

“You’re going to want to refrain from calling me Carrots,” Judy started to say, but Nick had already his paw under the table, and at once she felt a wave of the Force rushing through Nick, with it, he flicked the whole table around and letting it flipping around its own axis and through the air.

Judy who stood on the edge of the table jumped back but stood after the landing directly in the zone were the massive wooden table would crash.

Before the wooden piece of furniture could even touch Judy, Nick heard already the familiar buzzing sound of a lightsaber. One clear-cut was all the young doe needed to part the table in two pieces which shattered some meters beside her to the ground.

For a moment Nick thought that he would now witness a truly angry bunny but what he saw was far from what he imagined, Judy was smiling at him. In her right paw, she held a glowing purple lightsaber, which was precisely adjusted to her size and now where he thought about it — eye color.

“EVERYONE OUT!” Judy shouted to the visitors around and the guards behind her. Panic spread and the sound around the two was rising until most of the visitors had left the large casino hall.

As if she had all the time in the galaxy, she took off her typical brown Jedi overcoat. Tossing it to her right and showing the cream colored robe of a Jedi Knight, that Nick wore just some years ago by himself. Right now he preferred leather and other, darker clothing.

'Oh dammit, she really is a Jedi, and if I’m really unlucky, she is also a good fighter.’

Both of her paws clasped now to the lightsaber, while she was holding it up in the same height as her face was.

“Draw,” Judy said with emphasis.

“See Carrots, is there no other way to come out of this casino? Do we really have to fight?”

“Weren't you the one who said, that you won't go without a fight?”

Nick sighed deeply and thought, 'What for a stubborn bunny . . . Oh boy, this will become pretty ugly.’

“Fine,” Nick replied and stretched out his right paw and levitated his lightsaber in a quick movement from his hip to his arm. A green blade buzzed now steadily from his right side.

“But don't say I didn't warn you,” Nick said with a smile.

“Don’t worry I’m a big girl, I won't cry,” Judy replied and started running towards Nick, her lightsaber buzzed loudly to her movements, her feet moved fast over the wooden floor. Nick prepared himself for a massive impact and went into a standard defense position, even so, the bunny in front of him seemed light, but he knew underestimating an enemy is the fastest way to death.

Judy didn't attack directly, she jumped to the left on one of the gambling tables which stood some meters in front of Nick, to have a higher position as her canine opponent.

As Judy began, she strengthens her jump with the force to deal a direct blow at Nick from above. The fox, however, had a hard time blocking the attack but Judy didn’t stop here. She balanced her whole weight on her lightsaber which clenched directly against the green blade of Nick's blade. With her left paw, Judy charged another force attack. But this was no quick force push, Judy slowly increased the pressure on the fox.

The gravitation around Nick seemed to increase, he could feel how his whole body was pulled to the ground, and he asked himself how far this bunny would go to capture him.  Breathing was harder and harder under these conditions, his bones started to hurt, and he could feel how his feet slowly gave in. As he heard the wooden floor cracking from the still increasing force, Nick understood that he still underestimated the bunny, her heights and speed made her even more dangerous as an opponent.

For the first time he looked up to her, and he saw that Judy also looked down on him. For a short moment he lost himself in her eyes, he didn’t know what it was, but there was something that made him feel – something.

“Give up!” Judy said through her clenched teeth, and right then, Nick snapped back into reality and did what he could do best in such situations — not what the opponent expected.

“Okay, I surrender, Carrots,” Nick said and looked with a smirk in the dazzled face of Judy above him. The confusion in Judy's face quickly gave way to another smile, with ease she used the two lightsabers as a stepstone to jump above Nick and directly in his back. With that, she could end this fight quick but still a half meter above ground Judy noticed, that this time she was too slow and what was even worse, the fox had fooled her.

“Dumb bunny,” Nick said, grinning like a little kid and gathered the force in his left paw again. The attack pushed the light bunny flying towards the bar. She had just enough time to block the most substantial impact with her crossed arms.

Nick who saw this regretted his move instantly and watched with widened eyes, how the little bunny hit the bar. Everything around her was made out of glass and other valuable crystals and flacons. Judy hit and an explosion of glass, liquor, and other exotic fluids spread over the counter and the nearby gambling tables.

'From where came this explosion? Damn, I wanted to make her unable to fight, not unable to live,’ Nick thought. In blind panic ran the fox, to the shattered bar with the destroyed counter. Shiny glass particles and light reflecting liquids, everywhere.

'Oh boy, what a mess . . . I hope the bunny is okay....’

' . . . Why do you care so much for her? She is just a bunny, you know her for maybe 15 minutes, and in ten of them we tried to kill each other. . . Okay, we are Jedi, so for us was this more like advanced talking . . . ,’

“Hey Carrots, I’m truly sorry . . . That's not what I wanted to do . . . Carrots?”

With a light, feet stepped Nick over the puddles of liquor and glass. The vapors slowly raised to his head and clouded his perception but he mostly didn't notice, Nick knew that some heavy stuff was beneath this bottles, stuff that could also kill if you took too much. Right now his mind was just concentrated on the little bunny which should lay somewhere between the mess he had created.

With ease, Nick jumped on the counter of the bar and took the first look down. Even more shards and liquid swam around here. It was a mess, and Nick couldn’t see clearly through this devastation of splitter and fluids.

“Carrots? Seriously Carrots . . . I’m sorry,” Nick began to speak until a massive shock wave hit him and sent him this time flying through the room. While he was in mid-air, he suddenly understood what the explosion was he saw before.

'She fooled me! She cushioned her own impact with a counter push. This sneaky little bunny!’

Unlike Judy, Nick had no more time to cushion his fall, and so he slammed heavy on the wooden floor right between the gaming table where he played and won just half an hour ago and which the little bunny cut precise in two halves. Moaning and cursing, Nick laid on his hurting back and tried to control his pain.

Steady but not too fast walked Judy with half-closed eyes over to the fox. She was angry and not even her long and hard training could hide that. With the buzzing purple lightsaber still in her right paw, stepped Judy with her left foot on the chest of Nick, who escaped a huffing sound. The fox tried to raise his head, but the purple lightsaber was just inches from his nose away. To close for his own taste, and he decided to keep this inches between himself and the hot plasma.

“Stay down and don’t move! You dumb fox ruined my robe, and now I smell like a distillery for every imaginable liquor in this galaxy,” Judy shouted at him.

“Hey, Carrots. I told you I’m sorry . . . And by the way, has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you're trying to look serious?”

“Shut up . . . Dumb fox,” Judy replied and turned her head away from him, but Nick could see that her inner ears took on a rose color.

'You're also not as tough as you act, Carrots. Why does her blushing make me smile? You’re getting old Wilde, that’s the problem . . . Maybe.’ Nick thought and watched her from underneath.

Out of nowhere the little communication device on Nick's belt activated itself, and both could hear the rough and deep voice of Nick's companion and pilot.

“Hey, Wilde! Wat da hell ya doin in there? The entire military of the Wheel is on their feet and afta us! They got our ship and now they searchin for us man! What do we do now?”

With a sardonic grin looked Nick up to Judy and waited for a decision.

“Right Carrots, what are we doing now?”

The fight seemed to be over for Judy, and so she deactivated her lightsaber, put it back and tried to take the communication device from Nick's belt. It was complicated attached to it , and Judy needed some time to get it off, enough time for the fox instantly used for another joke.

“Well Carrots, I didn't know we were already that close,” Nick said with a dirty grin. It took Judy a moment to realize in which position she bowed over Nick. With glowing ears, Judy pulled finally the device from his belt and turned away.

“Jerk,” was all she replied and activated the device, “ Judy Hopps speaking, come in.”

“What the . . . WILDE If this whole trouble is because of a new girlfriend, I tell ya!” The deep voice said over the intercom. Judy was almost exploding when she heard those words and reacted accordingly to her temper.

“NOBODY is here anybody's girlfriend! Now listen, if you want to make it alive out of this space station!” Judy shouted in the little metal box, her ears glowed like burning coals.

A burst of roaring laughter followed Judy’s last comment. For a moment she looked baffled at Nick who still laid on the ground and shrugged about the behavior of his companion.

“Haha . . . I don’t know where you found your new pearl, Wilde! But you should keep her, she has fire!” The voice roared through the little device, followed by laughter that echoed through the empty casino. Judy held the device away from her to not hurt her sensible ears.

Judy waited a felt eternity until the laughter finally stopped. Her ears were still glowing red, but

“Yes ma'am,” the deep voice replied with a chuckle.

“Good, then listen! Go to hangar 42, there you will find a VCX-100, that is my ship, the ‘Charon.’ Make her ready for taking off and wait for us. . . oh, and be kind to Patty!”  

“She? What the . . . And who the hell is Patty?”

“My ship’s AI, but you will understand it as soon as you are there. So just remember to be ready, okay?”

“Will do. So keep an eye out for that fox, will ya? He still owes me a lot of money!”

Without even thinking, Judy put the device into her own pocket and directed her attention now back to the fox on the ground. She stretched a paw out to him and smiled slightly. Nick, however, took the offered paw and got back on his feet.

He found his lightsaber some meters away from him and levitated it back to him. For a short moment, he checked if it was still okay. No scratches or other damages.

“Something tells me, that you are not here to bring me back to the Council, Carrots.”

“No . . . In fact, the Council doesn't even know you are still alive. I wanted to talk to you because of my mission, which is to find twelve missing scientists,” Judy explained, and she saw already the confusion on his face.

“I don’t see where I fit into this story?”

“Our client accused you, for kidnapping them,” Judy began, but Nick interrupted her abrupt, “WHAT? I was the last four weeks in this stupid casino! How? But more important who?”

Nick was upset, and that for a good reason, he gestured like crazy or at least until Judy took his paws in hers. Confused, the fox looked at the doe and did not understand what she was doing.

“I know, okay? I believe you, that’s why I’m here. Something is wrong, and I have a bad feeling this could be a trap,” Judy said and let go of his paws. Nick smiled and replied, “You're pretty emotional for a Jedi, Carrots.”

A smile appeared on Judy's face when she looked up to the fox. “My Mum always said I was caring but . . .”

The breaking of glass disturbed the conversation between the two, and both felt a great force moving towards them. Without warning, all the lights in the hall went out. Whatever the danger was, it was only a few meters away from them now, well hidden in the darkness.

"Surrender," a cold voice said right in front of them.

For a moment Nick looked down at Judy, and she looked back at him still with the same smile, there was just the light from emergency lamps but it was enough to see that the other was smiling. Both thought the same thing at that moment, but Nick was the one who answered, maybe a bit too sarcastic.

"Sorry, buddy, I already gave up once today. Once more would be even more embarrassing in front of the girl."

"Very well, I see you've made your decision."

One enemy but two glowing red lightsabers, which pointed to the ground appeared in the dark, ready to fight.

“Damn and I had such a good feeling about this day,” Nick said.

“Oh come on, it can only become better from here on, Slick,” Judy replied with a smile.

“I hope you are right, Carrots.”

Both Jedi drew their weapons and prepared to fight. Nothing could be heard or seen in the dark, except for the four lightsabers, which buzzed in the darkness and waited eagerly for the fight.


	2. (N)ever Trust A Fox

#  (N)ever Trust A Fox

  
  


Nick became slowly nervous about the dark being who stood maybe twenty meters away from them, between two large columns, from which dozens stood here in the gambling hall to decorate the place. A whole minute had passed, but he didn't dare to move or even to attack them. A quick glance at the bunny beside him showed that Judy…., ‘Wait...was that her name? Yes, I’m was sure it was...if there was one thing I can rely on in this crazy galaxy, then it was my memory.’ 

 

Even Judy seemed to become nervous. Her lightsaber in both paws, one foot in front and the other ready to make quick turns.

 

“You know, Carrots, the last time I had a Sith in front of me I had to fight her with my lightsaber. Did something changed while I was gone and we try to stare them down now?”

 

“Oh, shut up, fox. I don't want to make the first move,” Judy replied angered.

 

“Oh,” Nick said and turned with a grin on his muzzle towards her, “...Ohhhh, you never fought against a Sith... You're afraid, right?” 

 

“That . . . That's not it, I never fought against a dual wielder...and my sight is still blurry because of all that alcohol you threw me in,” Judy said and saw that Nick lowered his green lightsaber and turned to her.

 

“Wait...Oh, you mean back then when you attacked me because you couldn't wait until I finished the game?”

 

“Obviously, Mr. Wilde, there wasn't enough time until the attack would happen.”

 

“Of course, Miss Hopps, but there was enough time for a little sparing fight…,” Nick replied and turned his gaze back to the enemy in front of them. Judy, who gritted already her teeth about the childish behavior of the fox, wanted to let it slide but she couldn't.

 

“If you would've talked to me, then we would’ve been already out of here!”

 

“Maybe... but I know 500 million reasons for finishing this tournament. So much republican credits...Finnick kills me when he gets to know that there will be no prize money. Tse, not even a wooden spoon for our hard work,” Nick said and seemed disappointed, but for Judy, this was too much. He was still a Jedi, and with that, he had to follow the rules.

 

“Hard work? You gambled here in this casino and did presumably so many other dishonorable things, but you're a Jedi! You swore a vow to the republic, the council, your fellow Jedi and every living creature! You vowed to serve, protect and fight for what is right.” 

 

Judy couldn't see the fox clearly in the darkness, but she saw his white and sharp teeth, which reflected the light of the stars and what was left of the lighting system of the casino. He was grinning but when he began to talk there was just malice and contempt in his voice.

 

“So many vows...they make you swear and swear. Protect the weak, obey the council, honor your master...But what if the council fights against the innocent or what if your master wants you to slaughter soldiers of the republic? It's... it's too much… but you...you're not long enough a Jedi Knight to see.”

 

Judy replied not really knowing what she should think of his words, “To see what?”

 

“To see, that at one point in your life, you'll forsake one vow or the other. No matter what you do...you'll fail, and you'll break your own rules. Honor, justice, control, abstinence or . . . Chastity,” Nick broke for a moment, and Judy saw how the eyes of the fox gave her body a closer look before he continued to talk, “...those are nice words the council has taught us to sing, but in the end, they're just words. They have no longer any meaning for me.”

 

“How can you say something like this,” Judy began to say with wide eyes, but the distorted voice from his enemy in the dark broke her off. Judy was sure that there was something in the past of the fox that wasn’t in the archives of the Jedi Council, that would explain why he turned this way. And she needed to know what his words mean, but she didn't know why.

 

“Are you two done flirting with each other ?”

 

“Flirting? What do you mean with that,” Judy shouted back in annoyance and tried her best to hide a blush until she remembered that they were almost in complete darkness and there was no need for that. In contrast to Judy began Nick almost to have a normal conversation.

 

“Sorry, we're done...You see, I would've invited her to my ship for a night full of passion and ruffled fur with the winner. Maybe, I would even fly with her around some planets of the Republic to show her what life has to offer…,” Nick said but saw after a short glance Judy's half-closed eyes and concentrated back at the enemy, “...but enough about me and my destroyed dreams about a night with this gorgeous bunny and maybe a space station of my own somewhere in the outer rim.”

 

With this last words, Nick pointed his lightsaber towards the floor, as if he didn't want to attack. From the owner of the still red glowing lightsabers came no answer. He waited like before in the darkness.

 

Judy guessed from the length of his lightsaber that he was slightly taller than she was but not as tall as Nick. Furthermore, she could see a cape in the dark and some kind of mask, which looked like a skull with a long torn nose. There was no mouth to see, just the empty sockets, where eyes should be. An eerie feeling ran down her spine when she looked at him for a while.

 

When Nick turned towards Judy, she heard how the fox whispered some words to her.

 

“Okay, listen. I don't have a good feeling about this guy. I think he has some aces up his sleeve, so stay behind me and act as support. Strike whenever you see a good chance to..,” Nick said, but Judy interrupted him, “...I was the best in my class, so don't worry, I know how to fight. Dual wielder or not and besides I have even beat you in less than ten minutes.”

 

This was all the gray bunny said before she started to run towards their enemy, her lightsaber behind her back. And Nick knew she was ready to strike the first blow.

 

“This bunny will definitely be the death of me...how can someone be so stubborn and so arrogant at once,” Nick said to himself and started, nonetheless, to run after her.

 

Without signs of fear, Judy began to recklessly strike her first blows against the unknown enemy but no matter where she tried to hit, a red lightsaber was already there to block her. Left, right, down or above the enemies head, every strike made just the noise of clashing lightsaber. There was no opening for an attack but what made Judy almost frustrated was the fact that her enemy didn’t even fall back. Not even an inch. 

Slowly something crept into her mind. She couldn’t exactly say what it was. A feeling? A thought? Some more blows and she began to hear a whisper in the back of her head.

 

‘Retreat, or you’ll die.’

 

With all her will she tried to fight against the thought and the enemy in front of her but it was a battle she would lose sooner or later, she was sure of it. The metal mask under the hood emitted no sign of emotion or life. And he was still blocking every attack.

 

‘You don’t want to die, but he will kill you.’ 

 

‘No, I will withstand.’

 

‘You can’t win...look you can’t even touch him. Retreat!’

 

‘But...but…,’ Judy thought but it was too late, she stepped back from him.

 

“JUDY!”

 

The gray bunny withdrew for once. Judy could hear the shout from behind her but was not able to react in time, when a paw grabbed her at her collar and threw her back. For a moment she just flew through the air and thanks to her excellent reflexes she landed on all four. Her lightsaber in the right paw, Judy looked up and was ready to yell at the fox. Her ears dropped, and her eyes went wide when she realized what happened.

 

Where Judy stood just seconds ago, were now two crossed red lightsabers blocked by a green one. With clenched teeth, Nick tried his best to hold the enemy back.

 

'The Sith would've pierced right through me if Nick wouldn't have saved me. I . . . I would be dead,’ Judy thought and for the first time in her life, rolled wave after wave of fear through her body. Until now, all her fights were against other Jedi, but she never felt something like this before. Shocked, Judy looked to the fox in front of her, who had just saved her life. Until now, She was so proud of her fighting skills, but here she was as useless as a newborn child and trembling in fear.

 

“You dumb bunny! Rule number one when you fight a dual wielder. Never draw your lightsaber when you have no idea how to beat him!” Nick shouted back to her but continued quickly with the next lesson, “Rule number two, when the enemy has two lightsabers, then face him with two lightsabers!”

 

Her mouth felt heavy, and the words didn’t want to come out at first, but when they did, she knew how wrong they sounded.

 

“But...but that's two against one. Also...I can’t...I,” Judy tried to answer but she couldn't, her paws and feet were shaking as if she was sick. Right now, Judy couldn’t even hold her lightsaber. Numb and full of fear it fell out of her paw. Nick took just a quick glance at her before he looked directly into the black metal mask of his enemy, speaking directly to him.

 

“Isn’t she an honorable Jedi Knight? Even now she wants to play by the rules and that when you weren’t fair to her at all,” Nick said and the Sith tilted his head slightly to inspect the fox and his facial reaction better.

 

“You noticed it...How,” the distorted voice asked, and all Nick did be to grin back at him.

 

“Let’s just say, I used to know someone who used similar tricks, Carrots?” Nick shouted back at the still shaking Judy.

 

“What...what do you mean with tricks?” Judy asked and directed her gaze at the fox.

 

“Oh good, you’re still conscious, fluffbutt. A lot of Jedi would’ve given up their mental fight by now, but you seem to be tough. Carrots, we three have one thing in common we are force user. Most of us use the force to manipulate the physical world but…,” Nick broke and made a little jump backward to escape the hard grip of his enemy, “...He is different, he manipulates the emotions of his enemies or to be more precise, he uses the force to inflict fear even in the mightiest and bravest of warriors.”

 

“H-how did you know?” Judy asked with wide eyes when she slowly realized that she was lured into a trap.

 

“The moment he appeared...I told you something was odd about him. I bet you couldn't see him clearly in the darkness but so couldn't I and in contrast to you I'm a nocturnal mammal, I should've been able to see him, but even my eyes wouldn't have been able to do so. He manipulated our perception since the moment he appeared in front of us. Tell me what is your name Sith? I want to know who I have to curse, besides the bunny, that I lost 500 million credits,” Nick said and smiled right into the metal mask of his enemy.

 

The dark warrior in front of him was silent, and Nick guessed he tried to think about a new way to defeat him.

 

“My name is Darth Lepus, and I'm here to capture you two...alive.” 

 

“Alive? Now that's a turn of events, but I have to refuse, Lepi. There are things in my life I want to do and places I want to see. And I have the feeling being captured by a Sith will shorten my lifespan drastically,” Nick said and raised his lightsaber, a look around showed him a half-destroyed interior, but there were still a lot of empty gaming tables which made in his eyes a good platform. 

 

“I’m no apprentice...Just a  Sith, that's all. But you... you're a strange Jedi Knight. No honor, no discipline and not even under the influence of the council. Anyhow, I can assure you that this job is nothing personal. Just a way to pay my debt,” Darth Lepus prepared himself and changed into an attack position, his lightsabers crossed behind his back. Both fighters backed up to have some distance between them and to have enough time to counter a surprise attack of their opponent. 

 

“Okay to make things clear and to disappoint you right away, I am definitely no Jedi, and I'm especially no Knight… but I can return the kind words because I never met a Sith who was so reluctant to kill someone. You could’ve killed the bunny easily, but you didn’t. Why? Most of you burn to kill someone,” Nick said and raised his sword. 

 

“I told you, this is just a mission I have to fulfill...nothing more,” Darth Lepus said, and Nick estimated that the height and speed of this Sith could be a real problem for him, just like the fight with Judy. 

 

“Fine...Whatever. Listen, I get tired of this conversation and still have things to do, so let us end this and start the dance,” Nick said and started with his raised lightsaber to run towards the enemy. Shortly before he would clash against the Sith, he took his lightsaber to the left and used with his right paw the force to throw the cards and chips which laid on a nearby gambling table towards the Sith. A cloud of hundreds and hundreds of cards, gambling chips, and other items flew through the air and took the Sith his vision.

 

Lepus was trained to avoid any physical contact during his fights because of his small body. He tried to dodge the cloud of small objects, no matter how light they were. As quick as the Sith could, he closed his lightsabers and rolled to his right, just to find a prepared fox. Nick, who awaited such behavior was ready to finish the fight as fast as he could by pushing his whole lightsaber in Lepus direction, aiming for his chest.

 

In time, Lepus could just reflect the stab of the fox with his left paw in which he held his lightsaber. Nick’s lightsaber went right through some inches of his shoulder. There was no scream of pain or any other reaction to the wound, but Nick saw how sparks flew from his lightsaber, where he pierced through his enemy’s chest before he jumped back on a nearby table. Lepus, however, got back to his feet and vanished with stopped lightsaber behind a nearby gambling table.

 

Nick, who held his lightsaber still in both of his paws to be prepared for any surprise attack, observed his surroundings but could see no sign of his enemy. The odd feeling from before seemed to disappear, and his vision was now almost as he knew it.

 

‘He’ll need his power for something else than influencing me...but what,’ Nick thought and turned his gaze back to Judy. The gray doe was still on her knees and fought against the effects of the force induced panic attack, ‘As long as she’s consciousness, everything is fine.’

 

But Nick knew he was dealing right now with an experienced enemy and he needed to focus all his wits and strength on this task.

 

“Not bad Lepus but you see...I have the high ground. You definitely know what you do...And I never thought that I would’ve someone as my enemy who’s cybernetically enhanced. Makes you even more dangerous,” Nick said and turned himself around, but even here on the gambling table, he could see no movement from the darkness below him. If Nick would bet on the injuries he had inflicted on Lepus, he would definitely say that his enemy couldn’t use his right arm any longer. Maybe, he had just hit metal, but there were for sure some important parts he had damaged.

 

From the depth of the hall sounded the voice and even after the third attempt, Nick couldn’t locate where it was coming from, “You fight with some dirty tricks, fox.”

 

Grinning, Nick tried to keep him as long as he could in the conversation, “Of course I do? Don’t tell me you don’t know why we foxes are red? Come on, guess!”

 

“Your predatory lust for blood?”

 

“Not bad, but no, Lepus.”

 

“Tell me,” The last words came from behind him, and they were closer than the ones before. Nick knew the Sith was coming for him.

 

“Foxes are red, my friend because we’re made by the devil,” Nick explained and waited for another sound.

 

“All of you? Even the white, black and golden ones?” Lepus asked and sounded almost as amused as Nick felt during this little conversation. The fox replied instantly with a smirk, “Well, what remains of the foxes out there in the galaxy...you should never trust any of them. They try to seduce you with their warm and fluffy fur and stab you in the back as soon as they get the chance to do so. We red ones...we’re at least honest enough to show you what awaits you.”

 

“And what awaits me?”

 

Nick replied grinning, “Treason.”

 

Nick felt now that his enemy was close.

 

A shadow emerged behind Nick from the darkness, he had a red lightsaber in his left paw and was ready to strike. In a quick turn, Nick blocked the attack and replied instantly with several blows from different sides but it was the same problem as with Judy, he was too slow and couldn’t overcome his defensive, even with just one working arm. 

 

The last strike came from above, and when Nick blocked this one as well, Lepus jumped backward and disappeared back into the darkness of the casino furniture, where he extinguished his lightsaber.

 

‘Damned...This will not work,’ Nick thought and cursed himself before he again had to defend against another strike from his opponent. Attack, disappear, wait. In that order was Lepus attacking. If it went on like this, there would be no winner at all and as it seemed the Sith had similar thoughts.

 

“That will not work,” Lepus said from the dark, “I guess for once, I should try to be as tricky as you are and change my perspective.”

 

‘Change his perspective? What does he. . . Judy!’ Nick understood maybe too late but rushed immediately towards the still shaking bunny. A short jump from the table and he was now on the same ground as Lepus. Like a mad mammal, Nick ran through the rows of gambling tables. When he took a glance to the right, he saw Lepus ran faster than he could towards the gray doe. His lightsaber was already drawn, and Nick could feel that he was ready to kill.

 

‘Why am I doing this? Let him have her, and everything is fine. I escape, and this whole mess is over. Why? Why do I want to save her?’ Nick didn't know why but he kept on running.

 

Simultaneously, Nick and Darth Lepus ended up in front of Judy, but the enemy was between her and the red fox. To Nick’s astonishment was Lepus looking at him and not Judy. Even the red lightsaber, which was until this moment in his left paw was gone, but Nick saw that lightning gathered now in it together with an extremely high concentration of the force.

 

‘He has one chance to take me down, and he risks everything for this one strike. And to higher his chance...,’ Nick’s mind was racing. 

 

Some last words left his muzzle before a combination of lightning and force push hit Nick right in the front and send him flying straight through the whole hall. The sentence which began in his mind was finalized with his muzzle.

 

“...You fooled me…”

 

The lightning push was mighty and took everything that stood in his way with it. No matter if it were destroyed tables, chairs or other furniture. So much debris flew in the attack that the fox seemed to disappear and slammed finally with everything that was torn with it into one of the massive marble columns, which was one of many that stood here for decorative reasons. They were most likely from an old and indeed forsaken planet somewhere in the outer rim and no longer very stable. Judy watched in horror how everything was collapsing above the fox. Metal, stone, and wood were building a large pile of rubble above his body. 

 

“N-no!” Judy wanted to shout, but the fear still paralyzed her body. She could feel how her mind tried to understand the defeat but what weight, even more, was the loss of Nick. By now, Judy could feel another emotion raising in her. It was a rage she never felt before and something she could keep under control.

 

Judy watched the scenery in front of her and tried even with unsteady and shaking paws to grab for her own lightsaber, but without any success. Lepus, how was still concentrated on his enemy, paid her no attention, just the pile of rubble was interesting for him, and so he walked towards it. After he had finished half of the way towards it, he bent down and grabbed for something that lay on the floor. Judy was sure that it was Nick’s lightsaber. What else could it be?

 

After a quick inspection of the object, he put it on his own belt and moved on. For the pile itself, he took more time to inspect it, walked around and above it. He did this until he was sure that his enemy was really dead. When he seemed to be satisfied, Lepus used a communication device on his helmet.

 

“Can you hear me?”

 

A short break and Judy couldn’t hear who answered him, but whoever it was, the person on the other side of the line sounded worried, maybe even carrying but in no way commanding.

 

“No, no, everything fine. Just some...smaller injuries. Please... you don’t have to worry about me, it’s...it’s nothing you couldn’t fix… Yes, it seems that the red fox is dead. I thought he would dodge my last attack…….. No. No more signs of him...I know, but at least we have her. Yes, I’ll finish and come back…,” a short break occurred where nobody said anything. Lepus spoke some last words into his device. And this words confused Judy more than anything else that was said until now, “...I love you too.”

 

Judy's mind was filled with questions, but they were too many as to grasp any clear thought, ‘Did...did he said ‘I love you’? Who is this Sith?’ Judy thought but was rather quickly drawn back to her own situation,’Why is it so hard to control my limbs...But more important what is with Nick? Did he really tried to save me and… died? NO! I will not believe it until I saw his body with my own eyes.’

 

There was no time to think about such things, at least not now but she couldn’t control neither her mind nor body. She had to do something, and this quick, Darth Lepus was coming back to her. No matter what she tried or did, her feet or arms didn’t want to obey to any command, the use of the force was entirely out of the question. By now, Judy’s mind was almost completely filled with anger. The fear from before was gone from her mind, but it still lingered throughout her whole body. With pure willpower, she tried to fight the paralysis and grabbed for her lightsaber. She missed it by some centimeters but decided immediately to give it another try. 

 

“N-no! I will not give up!” Judy said through her clenched teeth.

 

“It’s over,” Lepus said, and Judy felt how hot tears began to run down her cheeks. He was right, but she simply couldn’t admit her own defeat or Nick’s death, “You know… if you would’ve listened to Wilde, I would be the one who would lay on the ground while you could walk away. Do you have any last wish before we go back to the ship?”

 

“A-at least, sh-sh-show me your s-stupid face,” Judy demanded in her desperation, and to her surprise, he did what she asked for. With index finger and thumb he pushed two buttons on his mask and slide the whole piece over his head, revealing to long ears in white with black stripes and a white-furred face with equally black stripes. 

Judy simply couldn’t believe that a hare was standing in front of her.

 

“You...Y-you…,” Judy began but couldn’t end her sentence. With a sad gaze, the Sith looked down to her and spoke in a voice as if he would regret what he did.

 

“Yes, I’m a hare and to a high possibility, we two come from the same planet. But...something like this doesn’t matter now. You lost, and I won, that's the important fact at the moment,“ The hare said and squatted down to help Judy get up, “Too bad that the fox is dead, I liked him...somehow.”

 

Judy pushed away his paw and clenched her own paws to fists, while streams of hot tears ran down her cheeks.

 

“You killed him!”

 

“Yes and I'm sorry. Believe me, this is nothing personal, just a job to repay a debt.” 

 

For a moment, Judy couldn't believe that a Sith apologized to her, but here she was. And when she looked up to him, she saw a familiar face, emerging from the shadows behind the hare. For a moment, Judy thought her mind was playing a trick on her. But it wasn't.

 

“How is that... possible?” Judy said and gasped.

 

It was Nick, his fur and cloth were partly messed up and dirty but all in all he seemed okay. He had his head directly beside the hare's ears and send a little wink down to Judy. But when he spoke were his words just meant for the mammal between them and no one else.

 

“Hey Lupes, didn't I said that you should never trust a fox? You can't even trust us that we’re really dead.”

 

Ready to fight the red fox, the hare turned around and drew his lightsaber, but this time it was Nick who had the advantage. He grabbed Lupes left wrist and pointed with a blaster that he had pulled from his back at the chest of the Sith. He didn’t wait for a reaction and pulled the trigger two times. 

 

Lupes, however, let go of his lightsaber and coughed blood. Confused how all of this could change in this short amount of time, Lupes looked at the fox but said nothing. 

 

The Sith was mortally wounded, and Nick knew that he let go of his enemy. Hard and unforgiving, Lupes slammed to the ground, but his gaze was still fixed on the fox, even in his last seconds. Without pity or any sign of regret, Nick kneeled down beside the dying enemy.

 

“I told you, I'm no Jedi, and I’m especially no Knight. I don't care about their rules or their honor,” Nick said as if he had to justify what he did and put the gun back to its hidden place on his back.

 

To his big surprise, smiled the hare with his ice-blue eyes up to Nick and said in a heavy voice, “You foxes are all so different...but yet so similar, once you know what you want to protect.”

 

Nick didn’t know what to say and waited until his enemy drew his last breath, but he understood what the hare wanted to tell him.

 

“What did he mean?” Judy asked. Nick turned his gaze to her and lied, “I have no idea, Carrots.”

 

As soon as Nick couldn’t feel his presence anymore, he immediately searched for his and Judy's lightsaber and put both on his belt. For a moment he kneeled down, turned the hare with his white fur and the black stripes on his back and closed the ice-blue eyes of his enemy.

 

“That’s all I can do for ya...You fought more honorable than I did, that much I can give you,” Nick said and turned to Judy. Without asking, the fox picked up the doe and carried her carefully in his arms. Blushing, she said to him, “Y-you don't have to do this.”

 

“But I do it anyway...Why? Because the only thing I know is that a Sith Lord is dead and his minions and lover will come for his corpse. You heard him, right?”

 

“Yes...I never heard that a Sith could . . . Love someone,” Judy said and thought about their enemy. He was unusual, so much was clear and right now, Judy wanted nothing more as to revive and ask him so many questions. Why did he apologize? What was his aim?

 

“Jedi or Sith, this determines just from where we draw our power . . . The rest is up to the individual. He can love, hate, fight and protect like anyone else,” Nick answered and just for a second Judy wanted to reply but decided to keep her question for herself.

 

Judy felt somehow safe in Nick's arms, and she knew, without him, she would be dead or captured by now. But there was another question that needed to be asked.

 

“How could you survive that last attack?” 

 

Nick exhaled deeply before he answered, “I pushed myself out of the blaster with the help of the force, and the rest was simply hiding. No big mystery, you see?”

 

“No...no that wasn't simply hiding. Your whole presence was gone. As if you weren't there...as if you were...dead,” Judy said and looked up to him but what she saw was a fox fighting with himself until the moment came that he lost, “Please Nick, tell me.”

 

“I. . . I can conceal my presence. Like Lepus used the force to inject fear in the heart of his enemies, I can use the force to hide in front of others. It's no big talent, but it saved my scruffy tail a lot of times,” Nick walked a while with her in his arms through the Halls of the casino, searching for a specific exit, he knew. When they entered an empty floor Nick began again to speak, “Listen, Judy, I'm no fighter, no lightsaber master, no master of the force or anything else. I'm just a coward who did what he had to do to survive. That's all.”

 

Judy remained silent and thought about his words. They left the passage behind them and walked over a long metal bridge from one section of the space station to the next. From here, Judy could see the stars shining brightly down on them. She needed not long to see that Nick looked incredibly tired. Like someone who was searching for something but couldn’t let himself rest.

 

“Can I...can I ask you a last question?” A smile emerged from his muzzle before he replied, “Sure, Fluff. Ask.”

 

“Why do you still have your lightsaber, if you’re no longer a Jedi Knight?” 

 

Nick smiled and answered in a calm voice, “It’s mine. I made it, and I connect with it a lot of memories. Not all of them are good, but not all of them are bad. It made me to what I am, and it reminds me what for things I learned throughout my entire life. Giving up on my lightsaber would mean giving up my past, and that would mean giving up a part of myself. If I start with this where should I end? At one point, nothing would remain of me. This thing defines what I was and what I never want to be anymore.”

 

Somehow, deep inside of her, Judy understood what Nick wanted to tell her. She felt much better by now and was sure she could walk on her own, but she liked it here in his arm. For once, someone was there for her and not the other way around. Almost instinctively, Judy snuggled herself deeper into Nick’s arms and inhaled his scent. From this moment onward, she knew that she liked him.

 

“Nick?”

 

“Yes, Carrots?”

 

“Thank you...For saving my life and even if you said I shouldn’t trust a fox. I think I’ll make an exception with you.”

 

Amazed and a little bit embarrassed, Nick replied, “You’re welcome fluff and . . . Thank you.”

  
  


*******

 

“She can't just let him die, Sally! I can't accept this...please try again to call her,” a vixen with an almost golden fur and the name Skye shouted words of annoyance to her droid. She was wearing a black overall with dark blue elements. Around her neck was a metal collar which glowed at one point in light green. She was almost going crazy in her laboratory on board of the Phobos, a more massive ship which laid in the docking station number thirteen of the Wheel. Almost panicking she walked through her laboratory and collected everything she could need for first aid and put it into a big black suitcase.

 

“Sally, try it again! I know she’s there and just refuses to answer my calls,” The vixen said to the spherical droid who always floated behind her through the air. Most of the time the black ball showed on a small round display on her front two bright eyes and a mouth to show her state of mind. After a minute of trying to establish the call,  Sally replied just with a disappointing sound and equally frustrating face on her display.

 

Angered about her ignored calls, the vixen threw one of her tools through the laboratory, where it smashed against the other side of the wall and almost broke some monitors.

 

“NO! No, no, no! She has to hear me out! She has to! She…,” The vixen said angered and was supported by Sally who nodded hysterically in mid-air behind her back. Both of them went silent as soon as she saw that someone stood in the door.

 

“Ch-Charon...how c-can I help you?” 

 

The vixen made no secret out of the fact that she was afraid of the vast Kaminoan, who had in comparison to his species, who were almost white, black skin and white eyes. Jack had told her once that the dark side had corrupted him so much that his entire appearance had changed, but then again she had to think of Jack and his once complete white fur which was by now taunted by black stripes. He never spoke about it but she knew where they were coming from and it worried her with every day a little bit more. 

Charon wore as always the grey robe of his people and had his arms crossed behind his back. When the tall alien entered her laboratory, Skye made a step back and bumped into the edge of a table, on which her emergency bag waited to be completed. Her paws, however, clenched into the surface of the table and she could feel how her claws scratched over the metal.

 

“I was told you have tried to reach Lord Ovis?”

 

“Y-yes...I wanted to reach her...I need permission to find Jack. M-maybe I can still save him! Anyhow, I need to try,” Skye said in a meek voice but found some courage during her conversation. When Charon didn’t answer, Skye turned around and continued to pack the rest of needed tools into her emergency bag. 

 

Without even looking at him, she took the heavy bag with two paws and walked towards the exit. 

 

“Come, Sally,” Skye ordered the droid, who followed her but the machine never took his gaze from the Kaminoan. When both tried to leave the laboratory the door didn’t open. She knew instantly that Charon was blocking it with the force.

 

“Where do you think, you’re going, Ms. Winters?” Charon asked without moving or turning his gaze to her.

 

“I told you where I’ll go, and there’s nothing that will stop me from doing so. I will save him,” Skye said, her yellow eyes locked on the door in front of her. Determined to save the hare who meant so much to her. She knew what she had to do and this wasn't the first time that something like this happened either.

 

“Do you really think we would let our best scientist for biology, cybernetic and the force itself walk alone through an infamous space station full of gamblers, drunks and With two enemy Jedi on the run? You’re smarter than this, Ms. Winters and besides, Lepus is dead,” Charon said and smiled to her.

 

“We can’t be sure! I will…,” Skye began but was suddenly yanked up into mid-air and back into the middle of the room. It felt as if somebody would hold her up with one arm. Sally panicked beside her and began to react like a loyal dog would by attacking Charon. But the droid was never meant to be a weapon or any kind of threat, and that’s why her attempts of bumping into the Kaminoan, was more an annoyance for him than anything else. With ease, Charon positioned him in mid-air beside Skye. 

 

“You will do as I say and nothing else, do you understand me?” 

 

“No!” Skye replied reluctantly and growled down at the alien. She could see how Charon lowered his eyelids and looked dangerously up to her.

 

“No,” Charon asked and continued, “I think you don’t understand your place here, Ms. Winters.”

 

“Believe me, I do… Lord Ovis needs me for Project Mayhem, and the equation is easy, without Jack I’m out. When I’m out, no project Mayhem. All in all… No Jack, no project Mayhem and I swear you I’ll tell her that this was your fault before you drag me to hell,” Skye tried her best to sound convincing but internal she was afraid. Afraid for Jack and how long she had to save him and how severe his injuries were.

 

Grunting, Charon let go of the vixen. The fall was short and followed by a hard landing, which Skye repaid with a dark glare at the Sith. She showed no signs of pain, she didn’t want to give him this satisfaction. Sally began as soon as she was free floating around her master, checking if everything was okay. When the droid had checked that everything was fine, it returned to Skye’s side and remained behind her locking his gaze again at the tall alien.

 

“Fine...I let you go and search for him, but you will take four of my guards with you. No objections, vixen!”

 

Skye couldn’t answer, her coughing from the force choke he had given her, was still too bad. Charon, however, left the laboratory without saying another word.

Skye wanted to stand up and walk on, she had to search for Jack, but for now, the only thing she could do was to sit here and cry about the situation she was in. 

 

‘Jack, please be okay. I will come for you and put you back together like I always did, but please hold on. You know how much I need you,’ Skye thought to herself, her face changed back to a determined one, and with the sleeve of her overall, she wiped away her tears.

 

“Sally?”

 

The droid who was until now hovering around her with a sorrowful face awakened and flew fast to its master. 

 

“Come, we have to find Jack,” Skye said, and a smiling face appeared on Sally’s display flying as fast as she could over to the door, chirping and waiting in utter delight for the vixen. With an equally cheerful smile, Syke replied the noises, “That’s my girl! Mmh, who wants to find daddy?”

 

Another chirping came from Sally before Skye walked past her. With the droid behind her and the heavy bag in her paws, she paced as fast as she could to the exit of the ship, where already four guards waited for her. Skye knew just the leader of the small group, his name was Hortun Telic and a former human member of the Republican army, where he had the rank of a lieutenant, but here he was the leader of Charon’s soldiers or mercenaries. 

 

“Ms. Winters, Charon told me we’re here to retrieve the corpse of Darth Lepus?” Telic said. The human was a soldier all his life and knew nothing else, emotions seem to be a foreign word for him, and Skye couldn’t do anything against this, but it made her angry how they talked about him.

 

“He’s not dead! What you do, is to escort me to his last whereabouts. Do you understand this? As soon as I enter the hall you'll leave me alone with him.”

 

“Sorry, Miss but we have strict orders what you’re allowed to do and what not.”

 

“I DON’T CARE! Bring me to him and do as I say!” It was enough for the young vixen, all she wanted was going to the mammal she loved and try her best to bring him back into the world of the living. She knew that with every wasted minute the chances to save him were lower and lower.

 

“Okay, Miss but this mission is on you. If anything happens, you’re to blame,” Telic said and nodded.

 

“Fine… But please, let us go,” Skye replied, and she could feel how tired she was right now. 

 

It took the group and Skye another twenty minutes until they reached the hall where the fights happened. Until now, no one of the group had spoken to her. Silent followers, almost like ghosts but Skye didn’t care, she just felt that with every minute she came closer to him, she felt more and more uneasy. But it was no comparison to what she felt right now, here in front of this enormous door.

 

The casino was still abandoned and would be until tomorrow. Charon had talked to the owner and Syke could already imagine that it had been a rather unpleasant conversation. A shiver ran down her spine and made the fur on her tail stand up when she just thought about it.

 

Always, when she went out on such a mission to find him, and his situation was unclear, she hoped that it would be the last time she had to do this. That it would be better from there on but it never happened. There was always a step-down. Jack was the only positive thing she had in her life and maybe even the only person who ever loved her unconditionally. For no money in the whole wide galaxy, she wanted someone else, all she wanted was her white hare with the black stripes. 

 

‘Was that really too much to wish for? A quiet life with him, like they had before? Before all this mess started?’ Skye asked herself and sighed, before she turned to Telic, “Open the door for me and wait. If I shouldn’t have returned in the next sixty minutes, then and just then you’re allowed to enter.”

 

“Yes, Miss.”

 

Telic replied and opened with the other mercenaries the door. Quickly, Skye and Sally entered the quiet casino hall. For some seconds she stood just there and stared in the darkness of the hall until the heavy door closed with a loud noise. 

 

Complete darkness was all around her, even the emergency lighting system was dead by now and if there was one thing that scared here as much as Charon than it was darkness. Even today and even as a fox, she couldn’t sleep at night without a small light on. And yes, it was a childish and irrational fear, something she was well aware of as a scientist, but Jack had never complained about it or even made fun of her. Whenever she awoke at night because of a bad dream, he had taken her into his arms and consoled her. But now she had to be strong, and for now she tried her best to ban the fear she had back into her mind, ‘Jack needs me.’

 

“Sally?” 

 

The droid blinked in the darkness and flew over to her, Sally’s face looked curious, and she seemed ready to work.

 

“Search for Jack.”

 

This command was one of the few the AI had prioritized higher than most others. The moment in which Sally heard this order, the black sphere began to scan the hall instantly. Skye, however, searched in her bag for a flashlight and turned in on. She examined the place with her limited view and hoped to see any moment Jack in his black suit. But there wasn't anything.

 

Skye could see a large pile of rubble but didn't know if this was Jack's doing or the fault of the other two Jedi. Some years ago, Jack had always a camera on to stream what happened to him in real time, but this was too nerve-racking for her, and so they agreed that he would at least give her a quick call when the mission was done, or the danger had vanished. She couldn’t understand what went wrong at this time. He said he had killed one of the Jedi. Did he oversee him? Or made a mistake? No, that wasn’t like him...Maybe he was tricked?

 

The vixen made a face when she saw all the gambling tables laying around together with poker chips, money, glasses and above all was this terrible stench of alcohol in the air. She always thought that the Crimson Casino was such an excellent Etablissement, but she was apparently wrong.

 

A loud alarm sounded from the other side of the room and for a short moment, Skye felt as if her heart stopped for a second.

 

‘Sally found him! Now go there you clumsy vixen and save his life like you always do!’ 

 

New confidence rose in her but when Skye started to run the heavy bag, which she had to carry with both of her paws, didn't allow to make fast progress. Another minute and she reached finally Sally, who floated excited about her finding in a circle around Jack.

 

For a second, Skye stopped in front of him and watched how he laid on the floor as if he would sleep peacefully. Like the last times when she had found him, tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't give in and tried to stand her ground.

 

Skye knelt down beside him and turned Jack carefully on his back. He made no sound and looked so peaceful with his closed eyes.

 

“Sally, light,” The droid turned and activated two small but very bright lights beside her ‘face.’ 

 

'He even took off his mask...Skye! Concentrate! He needs you now.’ 

 

But what she found on his chest surprised her. She awaited cut off limbs or a pierced chest through a lightsaber, but this?

 

“Blaster...wounds? I thought you were fighting Jedi, Jack,” Skye said as if he was there and could reply to her.

 

She tried everything to detach the breastplate from his body, but the blaster shots seemed to have melted and fused with the metal underneath. Her only option was now to cut it off and try to fix the damage beneath. Without looking, she opened the heavy bag and search with her right paw for the small light cutter which was in fact just a miniature version of a lightsaber, Jack had once built for her. It was highly effective but also as sharp and unforgiving as the real deal. Carefully and just centimeter for centimeter she worked along the plate. 

 

It took her almost ten minutes until his bare chest laid open and once more struck grief the vixen when she looked on his for her well-known but worn out body. Scars and missing fur were the least of his problems. Jack's entire right arm was gone together with it his right shoulder, both were replaced by cybernetic ones. Those pieces went directly over into the chest which was in fact almost a complete replacement of the thorax through steel and other parts and contained most of the original organs. Everything she could save. 

 

Skye's paw stroked over the metal chest up to the point which was the heaviest wound of all. In the place where Jack's heart should be was now just an energy cell which delivered the power for his mechanical heart. This wound he took to shield Skye before the damage of a grenade. He did this without thinking, and she knew he would do this again and at any time. That was her Jack.

 

‘All the things he did for me. . . What else could I do than love him,’ Skye thought smiling and was kind of relieved that just the energy cell was destroyed through the blaster shots. 

Without hesitation, she began with the replacement of the broken part. What even Jack didn't know was that every time when he was on the brink of death and Skye saved him, she added something to his cybernetic parts. By now he could survive things that others could never survive, like two shots from a blaster directly to the chest. Skye had added smaller backup batteries which supplied Jack's whole body for at least twenty-four hours with energy to prevent him from brain damage or organ failure. Right now, he was more in a comatose state than really dead.

 

The energy cell was replaced, and Skye saw how the normal function of his body returned. Jack's breathing was again going normal, his heartbeat was back, and his ears also reacted to sound. Smiling, Skye laid Jack's head on her thighs and began to caress his cheeks. From this moment on, she could just wait and hope that he was okay and soon be back on his own two feet.

 

“Come on, Jack. For six years we two are together like this. That’s not how it ends,” Skye said and began to hum a tune she had in mind and also often sang when she was working. It didn’t take long before she began to sing.

 

_... _

_ I don't sing well, but I got a lot of heart _

_ This world's a pirate, and I'm swimming with the sharks _

_ And in the sunlight, I'm shaking like it's dark _

_ What could I say _

_ I was born to be this way _

_ And what could I say _

_ I'm just living for today _

_ … _

  
  


A moan came from the hare lying on her thighs, and Skye stopped her singing at once.

 

“That’s not true...your voice is beautiful,” Jack said and opened slowly his ice-blue eyes which met her yellow ones instantly. Both couldn’t hide the smile of joy when they both looked at each other.

 

“How are you feeling, Jack,” Skye asked, happy but still worried about him.

 

“You know, I always feel perfect when the first thing I see is my personal sky…,” Jack said, but he could see how her face turned to a worried one, “Jack, please…”

 

“I...I’m sorry. I feel...okay so far. My right arm is broken, but I guess you will repair this in no time,” Jack replied and observed how his vixen reacted. A deep exhale followed the most beautiful smile he could imagine and for which he could and had killed.

 

For a while, Skye was just looking at him and all his scars, which he had gathered since they lived together and of course his black stripes. When she first saw him bare in front of her, he was covered in pure white fur. Sometimes, Skye asked herself if she was the cause and the fault for all his misery and his drift to the dark side. She didn't care how he looked, she would love him even if his complete fur had turned black, but she knew where his stripes came from and what caused them. She hated that he used the dark side but, he did this to protect her, and she knew he would never stop. Not until…

 

Skye shook her head and exhaled deeply. 

 

Jack seemed to notice the change of mood and reached up to her with his left paw. At first, he just caressed her cheek, but it didn’t take long until she closed her yellow eyes and began to enjoy his touch.

 

“One of the enemy Jedi was a fox. A red one, to be precise. He was also the one who shot me...but before that, he had said something to me,” Skye who still enjoyed Jack’s treatment had begun to purr softly, “So...did he. Ahhh, Jack. You know that I can’t concentrate when you’re touching me like this.”

 

“I know,” Jack replied smiling and took his paw down to get the full attention of his vixen again.

 

“He said, that I should never trust a fox because you’re all made by the devil and sooner or later you would stab me in the back,” Jack said and looked up. Skye laughed and replied still giggling, “Well, maybe I will do this one day my little hare.”

 

Skye just fooled around and bowed down to him, rubbing her black nose against his. But Jack was severe when he replied, “I would always trust you, even when you do something like this to me...my life is yours. Forever.”

 

Skye was speechless, even so, it wasn’t the first time he had said something like this to her, but it was never so direct or so earnest, even so, she knew what he felt for her.

 

“I love you,” Jack said and hadn't to wait long for Skye’s reply, “And I love you.”

 

The golden vixen bowed again down to the hare, but this time, she placed a kiss on his muzzle. Slowly, she raised her head and stood up from her kneeling position, 

 

“Come, I help you up and back at the ship, I make a long check of your whole body,” Skye said grinning and handed the hare a paw. 

 

“Is that a promise Ms. ... ,” Jack replied, but as soon as he got up to his feet, everything in his view started to spin and became blurry. He went back to his knees and coughed blood. A device on Skye's arm began to make a sound as if an emergency happened. Even Sally flew nervously around Jack and checked his status.

 

“Jack? Jack!” Skye went instantly to him, the white fur around his muzzle darkened with blood. The hare was back on his knees and his left paw. Jack felt miserable and could just see how his right cybernetic arm hung limply on the ground.

 

“No! No, no, no... Your left lung collapsed...this must be from the impact of the blaster shots. While you laid on the floor, everything was fine but now...,” Skye said and activated her communication device, “Telic! I need help, immediately. Jack was back on his feet, but his left lung collapsed we need transportation back to the ship. And that now!”

 

“Telic here. We're on our way, Miss Winters.” The mercenary replied.

 

“Jack, did you hear that...they’re coming…,” Skye said, but her voice became quieter and sounded as if it was far away.

 

Jack's sight became smaller and smaller until everything around him went dark. The last things he recognized was Skye, who kneeled beside him and begged him to stay with her and Sally who flew in panic around the two of them and made beeping noises as if she would die herself. In the end, there were just his own thoughts, and they were about his vixen.

 

'Please let me stay...I have to protect her.’

 

*******

 

When Jack opened his eyes again, he laid in his own bed back on board of the Phobos where he shared a cabin with his vixen. But right now he had to order his thoughts. How did he arrive here? What had happened? But most importantly, where was Skye?

 

To his luck, he could answer the last and most crucial question instantly. The golden vixen laid, like every night, with her head on Jack’s chest and seemed to be in a deep sleep. Her left arm was around him and their legs entangled to a mess of white and gold. On top of that, and until today Jack didn’t know if she did this intentionally or not, Skye covered both of them with her tail. With that, the blanket wasn’t needed, but when Jack raised it, he saw what he already expected, a naked vixen that made him smile for a moment until his gaze went up to the collar she wore. Jack’s smile vanished instantly when this thought crossed his mind. For two years, this thing was around her neck, but he knew that every attempt to remove it would instantly kill her.

 

Before that, they had everything they ever wanted. Their own ship, ideas and the will to see as much as possible of the galaxy. But they were at the wrong time, in the wrong place and met the wrong enemy. And now? Now, Jack and Skye had to pay off a five-year debt for Lord Ovis, and until then, he and Skye were nothing more than the Sith Lords property. He had to fight, and Skye had to work on a secret project which had the obscure name Mayhem.

 

For some seconds, Jack just listened to Skye and how she was breathing in her sleep. When he raised his right cybernetic arm, he recognized that this one was different from before. It was brand new and lighter than the old one.

 

‘She already healed me, changed the arm and repaired everything. How long was I asleep? Or better how long was she awake?’

 

Carefully, Jack tried to escape the greedy grasp of his vixen, if this would be a typical day he would gladly stay in bed with her but this day wasn’t typical. He had lost to someone. 

Skye didn’t like it to be left alone in bed and looked almost as if she was pouting in her sleep when Jack crawled from under her to the edge of their bed. Standing beside it, he saw on a nearby chair his trousers which he put on for once. We wanted to walk over to the command terminal and inform himself what happened in the time he was knocked out.  

 

But when he walked with bare upper body past the large mirror, which was attached to the wall of their cabin, Jack stopped and looked for a while at his own image.

 

“You're a mess, Jack... It's a wonder that she can love you like this.”

 

His real right arm was gone, as well as his right shoulder, most of his chest, his heart and some other organs. Everything replaced through cybernetic parts. Now came a ruptured lung to his list of failing body parts but as long as he could go on and protect her, everything was fine.

 

But what really concerned him were the black stripes he developed over the years. Jack knew that the dark side was taunting him...changing him into someone or something else. But he couldn't see it directly, just in the way Skye sometimes looked at him. Her eyes full of fear and it hurt him, more profound than any lightsaber could ever cut. The only one who should never have such feelings about him. 

 

There were times when he lost his mind to the dark side. Times where anger and rage dominated his emotions. Times where no voice but hers could reach him. Jack feared the time when even this was no more possible. He feared the day she wouldn't come back to him to save him from the darkness. But most of all he feared the day where he could become her darkness.

 

Jack sighed heavy and took a last look at his black stripes before he heard the beeping noises of Sally who just realized that one of his owners was awake. Seemingly happy flew the black Droid around the hare. Jack had to chuckle about the silly droid but grabbed her with both paws when she became too loud.

 

“Psst. You wake her, Sally. We have to be quiet, alright?”

 

The Droid in his paws nodded and remained silent. At least for now. Sally returned to her most liked hobby, which seems to be floating through the air and watching everything in her surrounding. Right now, she was above Skye but not for long, and she flew on to one of the windows towards space. Yeah, they were back and probably following Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.

 

When he walked back to the bed, he discovered on Skye’s night table a small tablet with her last recorded work. Jack thought that a quick glance couldn’t hurt. He took it and sat on the edge of the bed. Skye instinctively turned around and wrapped her arms around the hare.

 

‘Two hours for fixing my collapsed left lung, three hours for the replacing of the arm and fixing the damage on my chest.’ He looked down to the sleeping vixen.

 

“Thank you, my dear lady, for piecing this broken and worn out body together,” Jack said and pressed a kiss on her forehead. A smile flashed over her sleepy face before she replied in an equally sleepy voice. 

 

“I would always try to piece you back together . . . It’s fun... almost like a puzzle,” Skye said and giggled about her own joke before she closed her eyes again.

 

When Jack drew the blanket over her shoulders, he could see through her fur dark blue spots on her collarbone, neck, and throat. He knew this kind of injuries very well, every force user would recognize them immediately, and he knew that he would never do her any harm. Never.

 

He knew only one other force user on this ship.

 

“Skye who did this?” Jack asked, his voice way darker than his normal one. The vixen needed a moment to understand what the hare wanted from her.

 

“Why did he hurt you?”

 

Wide awake, she was crawling up to a sitting position. Skye could already sense the anger boiling up in Jack, but she still tried her best to cover it up, but he already knew enough.

 

“Th-that’s nothing...You know me, clumsy Skye, fell about her own two feet. Dumb, dumb, dumb…,” But she felt that it didn’t work and so she tried the last thing on her list and begged, “Please Jack...let it go and don’t give in. Not for his sake but for yours,” Skye said and grabbed his left paw.

 

For a moment, she thought he would stay. Especially when he began to caress her paw with his thumb. But he quickly turned around and levitated one of his lightsabers into his right paw. He could hear Skye behind him, how she stood up and tried to follow him but she wasn’t as fast as he was. 

 

“Jack! No, please! Let us talk about this,” Jack could see, how she had the blanket clutched to her chest and how she desperately tried to locate her clothing. When he left the room, and the door closed. Jack used the force to break the lock and keep her in there.  

 

‘She’s a goddamn genius, she doesn’t need longer than five minutes to find a way out. I need to hurry,’ Jack thought and hurried on.

 

Driven by blind rage, he walked straight through the nearby corridors, directly towards the bridge where he felt the person he was looking for. Some other crew member passed his way, but they either backed away from him or quietly stood still until he was gone.

 

When he entered the bridge, there was only Telic the mercenary and some crew members around and of course Charon, the captain of the Phobos. Standing in front of the long command table, typing various commands into it. He didn’t look up but recognized the half naked hare without a doubt.

 

“Ah, Darth Lepus. You returned from the dead and oh...what for a rare view you offer us,” The Kaminoan said with a dirty smile on his face.

 

Jack didn’t wait or wanted to talk about anything, he wanted answers. He jumped on the other end of the command table, staring at the tall black alien. 

 

“What did you do to her?”

 

He looked finally up and met Jack’s eyes directly.

 

“Me? I taught her some manners and explained to her where she stands in this order. But she didn’t want to listen to me! And so she got maybe two or three little bruises.”

 

"Two or three little bruises...," Jack repeated almost not audible for the people around them.

 

Without warning, Jack raised his right paw and tossed Charon back against the rear side of his captain seat. Charon wanted to counter the attack, but he was too slow, and Jack had him already captured with the force. Without warning, Jack raised the pressure against him. The Kaminoan screamed in pain, but the hare didn’t stop.

 

“What did I told you when we were forced to work for Lord Ovis? Tell me! Back then, what did I said to you?”

The tall alien was trying to touch his throat, but Jack flung his arms down with the help of the force.

 

“That I... .Arghhh. . . should never do anything that would hurt your vixen. Ahhh, stop it! That’s madness!” 

 

Jack didn’t listen, he had heard already enough. With a fast movement of his paw, he threw Charon into multiple monitors to his left. Sparks and glass flew through the whole bridge, and Jack heard a scream from one of the crew members who stood behind him.

 

“She’s mine, and I will not allow anything you did to her! Have you understood me?”

 

Charon was screaming in pain, but none of his mercenaries came to help him, all of them stood in pure panic around and watched what happened to their captain. Jack, however, wanted to clear things once and for all.

The red lightsaber in his paw started to buzz, and he went over to the still screaming Kaminoan, his body until now sunken into the broken monitors. But Jack didn’t stop here. He jumped beside Charon and stepped over his long throat, by now Charon had understood that this was no demonstration of pure power. Jack wanted to kill.

 

He thrust his lightsaber into the already broken monitor. The glowing red blade just inches away from the alien's throat.

 

“Darth Lepus… Stop this foolish behavior,“ Charon demanded meekly.

 

“For the last time, my name is Jack Savage. I got this name from the one who trained and taught me everything I know, Darth Vectivus. And one of the things he taught me was that being a Sith would make me free! That I had to follow just my own believes and nothing else. But I’m everything else but free. I’m here on this damned ship, drawn into Lord Ovis foolish competition with Darth Sidious and the Jedi council,” Jack explained loud with clenched teeth.

 

“Stop...you’re killing me, hare,” Charon shouted underneath him.

 

“All of this I could take and accept, but I’ll never accept what you did to her. Never. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?”

 

“Yes! Yes! I understand but stop.”

 

“No... there’s no honesty in your words... just lies, and appeasements,” Jack said and slowly closed the space between the saber and Charon’s throat.

 

“NO, JACK! Please, don’t do it,” This voice was different, and Jack knew immediately it was her voice. Skye stood, just clothed in their blanket, in the middle of the bridge and watched with a shocked look, what his mate was doing. 

 

“Jack please, I’m not worth to kill someone else,” Skye said, but the hare replied, “For you, I would burn down a whole world and more.”

 

“Yes, listen to her!” Charon said, but Jack replied instantly, “Shut up!” 

 

“Jack, please. Come down, and we go back to our cabin. Please, do it for me. End this madness,” Skye begged a last time, and Jack laid his head deep into his neck, closing his eyes for a moment and tried to come down. With a deep exhale, Jack closed his lightsaber but just when Charon thought it was over, Jack took the head of the alien in front of him and turned his gaze to Skye, who still stood in the middle of the room. 

 

She had still the blanket clenched to her chest, and it was now that Jack guessed that her back was bare and visible for the crew members behind her. 'She was just focused on me...,' Jack thought, and a wave of shame flooded his mind which he tried to push in the back of his mind for now.

 

“Look at her and always remember that your miserable life continues because of the one you’ve hurt,” Jack said and took his cybernetic paw finally from him. Still panting, the black stripped hare stepped down from the console and walked towards Skye. His lightsaber was extinguished and hung back on his belt. Grim, Jack looked to Telic who stood at the door with a slightly open mouth.

 

“You better help him, or he maybe bleeds to...,” Jack said to Telic but was interrupted by a tantrum from the raging Kaminoan, “You caught me off guard, hare! And you’ll regret that I promise you,” Charon screamed and escaped with a bleeding head the crushed console underneath him. Telic went immediately to him and supported him to leave the bridge.

 

When Jack was finally in front of Skye, she looked at him with this gaze that made him feel as if he was a little kid again and was just intensified when she said, “You shouldn't have done that.” 

 

“I’m sorry,” Jack said and took the blanket quickly from Skye and wrapped her neatly into it. So that nobody could see what was only meant for him. They just wanted to return to their cabin when a voice sounded from the communication area, where a small projection stood, clothed in a black hood.

 

“Where do you two think you’re going? Stay, we need to talk.”

 

Jack and Skye turned back to the small creature and replied in one voice, “Yes, Lord Ovis.”

 

‘This day is getting worse and worse,’ Jack thought and didn’t even bother to smile.

 

"I saw your defeat, Charon. That is precisely the reason, why I don't allow you to use the title Darth...and now bring yourself in representable condition, Charon," Lord Ovis said and turned towards the vixen and the hare, while Charon left, supported by Telic, the bridge," Darth Lepus, you will continue with the pursuit of Nicholas Wilde and the Jedi Knight, Judy Hopps."

 

"Yes, Lord Ovis," Jack and Skye replied instantly.

 

"And Lepus...I'm sorry, I should've told you that Nick would use every dirty trick to survive. But I guess, you'll be the next time more carefully when you challenge him. He was always like this, you know, even when I trained him."

 

"You...trained him?" Jack asked perplexed and could see how Lord Ovis laughed about his confused face, "Oh yes, I did. But at a certain point, he betrayed me. Lepus, if he continues to make problems...kill him. Miss Hopps is already annoying enough."

 

With the same innocent smile with which Lord Ovis ordered death, she continued to speak to Skye, "My dear vixen, how is the project going?"

 

"G-good, I wait just for the last information from Honey and then we are ready for the final test."

 

"Perfect! I awaited nothing less from you, Skye. Hopps and Wilde are right now on their way to Naboo, and so are you."

 

"Naboo? What do they want on Naboo?" Jack asked and recognized that he had to catch up on what happened after he became unconscious. 

 

"A new queen will get her crown, and you two will attend the ceremony, locate Hopps and Wilde who are also guests on this feast, catch them and bring them to me. We will meet afterward on Moraband. Darth Lepus, you will get the command of this ship and Charon as your loyal servant," Lord Ovis said. Jack knew that the Kaminoan wouldn't like that. There was still one more question Jack had to ask before Lord Ovis would end the connection. 

 

"What will you do in this time, Lord Ovis?" 

 

"Me? I will meet with an old friend and see if he will join us. He and I haven't spoken to each other for such a long time. It will be a delight to see him again. Anyhow, we will have a last conversation which will decide if our paths lead us in different directions. I hope Darth Sidious will make the right decision," Lord Ovis said and smiled sweetly at the two before the hologram disappeared. Some seconds past before Jack turned to Skye with a smile.

 

"You know... I always wanted to see you in a dress," Jack said, but all that Skye could do was stare at him with an open mouth before she began to laugh. Her laughing was always a relief for him.

 

“I’m glad I have the old Jack back,” Skye said still chuckling before she pressed him a kiss on the forehead. With a shaking head and still laughing, Skye turned around and walked off.

 

“What? I really do.”


End file.
